Riding Whales

By Gloria D. Burgess

The story is about a young boy at the age of twelve, who faces a complete overhaul in his life; from the loss of his mother to moving with an unknown father. So much in such a short period of time. In the midst of his transitions, he encounters another new relationship that no one will ever believe.  

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Quantum Discovery
• Release date: Aug 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781961601345

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GLORIA D. BURGESS

Riding Whales

Copyright © 2023 by Gloria D. Burgess

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN

978-1-961601-33-8 (Paperback)

978-1-961601-34-5 (eBook)

By the same author

The Journey

A Child Cries in the Closet

Following a good life

The Life of Christ

A Possums’ Home

Anatomy of a friend

Otis

Prodigal Son

Elbow is an ignorant cat

Jeremiah Eugene Winslow

Can I ask a question?

Musa’ New Shoes

Touching Jesus

If you ride on a pig

A Collection of Poetry

To Brett & Thailan

May your imagination take you away

from your Impossibilities

PREFACE

Proudly he remembers days of youth when ocean waters hosted thousands in contrast to merely a few. Camaraderie, adventure, freedom pushed sails of sea giants as he in organized spray. They were reigning emperors of the waters. The world was home without borders boundaries, restrictions or fears. A playground of discovery and wealth nourished their young while energizing the pulsating muscles of maturity in aged leviathan.

Sand of adventures filled their resting places for those wearied, lifeless. Such purpose applauded an existence void of restraint. Such strength can never yield to inhibitions.

Their youth is untrained to fears yet the disappearance of counterparts led many to isolation.

How deserted is the world of whales with changes resulting in the demise of beauty, encapsulated in flesh, thickly and robust armored agility, manipulated by trivial inflections of the sea. Spared only to ride headlong into a culture formulated by civilization

His strength forbids defeat, as hunters become prey. Carnivorous devouring offspring in a silent race labeled survival. He now swims solitary traversing new worlds where his visage vanishes more with each puncture into the yielding surface of the sea.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Part One

Bed-wetting

Robin

Death

The Visitor

Father Comes

The Funeral

Part Two

Father’ Fears

Getting To Know You

Silent Father

Jason & the Whale

Bonding

Part Three

Whales & Sharks

Mr. Robinson

Dangers Beneath

Almost Gone

Relationships

A Dead Shark

Reflections

Old Blue

Epilogue

About the author

Leviathan

Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook?

Or snare his tongue with a line, which you lower

Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook

Will he make many supplications to you?

Will he speak softly to you?

Will he make a covenant with you?

Will you take him as a servant forever?

Will you play with him as with a bird?

Or will you leash him for your maidens’

Will your companions make a banquet of him?

Will they apportion him among the merchants?

Can you fill his skin with harpoons?

Or his head with fishing spears

Lay your hand on him, remember the battle

Never do it again

The Book of Job

PART

One

BED-WETTING

(Two years ago)

An airless atmosphere of the ocean continued to throb around his body as he evolves with this new world of wonder. He sailed through the bottom less spray of water as one born here without fins or gills. Even though he was able to breathe without being smothered, his body somehow adapted and merged into the earth’s water world. Creatures big and unique offered inquiring glances at the stranger with oblong fins and gills and feet promoting splashes bubbles, and seamless dives. Warmth enveloped Jason. His thoughts were the comforting feeling of this warm wet world pulsating around him. His lower limbs majestically began to move with the flow. Tickled toes drifted from the boundary less ocean to the firmness of his bed. With a start, his eyes flew open. Partly surprised, partly disappointed with himself yet again. At twelve, he felt ashamed but the urgency of the moment did not allow the pleasure of pity. Quickly ripping the soiled material from his bed, he races through the silent house down to the expectant washer, preparing to throw his sheets in. He notices the pile atop the hamper.

A familiar weight resurfaces from within and settles, as if to punish him for forgetting. He approaches the patterned sheets slowly with the muster only found in childhood, hoping he finds simple stains of soil. He moved as if his fingers were unveiling the body of the divine removing each fold with breath held in fear; hope he chooses not to know. His eyes fight to focus in the dim light of the basement. Too late, he notes, without wanting to, the stain surfaces at the edge of the second fold. All hopes dashed in this discovery.

Falling onto the cold-cemented floor, Jason buries his face in the pile of clothing as the washer rinses away his adolescent problem. Tears sting his eyes fighting for a right of expression. In the silence of the room with only the hum of the old machine Jason permits the flow of tears and cries into the bundled sheets.

After the sheets dry, he goes upstairs again. The house is still silent even though the new day’ promise of sunshine is gently beginning to speak through the laced curtains at the hall window. There is no one about. He tip toe to the room and stops at his mothers’ closed door. As much as he enjoys the warmth of newly dried sheets, he lowers himself onto the floor before the closed room and sit there with sheets in hand. Remembering the times when waking in the middle of the night just to locate the warmth of his mother’s body sent shivers down his small frame. He knew to enter was totally forbidden. In addition, even though he longed to be with her, he did not want to see. For now, this threshold would do until he was able to get back up. It did not matter who saw him right now, or if they saw the sheets. It did not matter anymore. He curled, buried his face inside the sheets with his head resting on the door, and fell asleep.

Nana soundlessly opened the door and placed the child back in his bed for the rest of the early morning hours.

ROBIN

(8 years ago)

‘Such a strange day’, she thinks as she sits. ‘If I didn’t know it was late, I’d think the day was starting again. I wish it would start and begin differently’. She begins to imagine being in the restaurant with her young son. The sun is shining, ‘Like it is now, but brighter. Instead of being seven pm, it is about ten am. We are sitting here and Tony is waiting at the door. He sees us, and rushes over.

Is this who I think it is? He looks at Jason with longing. Tears begin to form in his eyes. He gets down to eye level with Jason. He looks just like me! He says with a breaking voice, filled with emotion and pride, just as I knew he would be.

Hey guy. I’m your dad, you know that?

Jason smiles and shakes his head. Tony grabs him up in his arms and holds him tight, like he is the best thing he ever saw. I’m just sitting there with tears in my eyes looking at all this. It’s a dream come true. He looks down at me and says, I miss you too Robin.

I get up out the booth and join them. Everything is quiet in the restaurant, like in a story. Everybody is watching us. We are the perfect family, the kind everybody wants to be like. The three of us are hugging each other and crying all over the place. Some of the folks are crying with us. Others are smiling, just happy to see other people happy. Then they start clapping. We look around and Tony says to me Let’s go home.

He is carrying Jason, the other arm around me, and the three of us head out the door. Our meal is on the house the owner says as we leave. Everybody in the restaurant stands as we exit the building. The sun is shining so bright we leave and the birds are singing.

Mommy?

He brings me back. Yeah?

How long are we going to sit here? He is scratching his head. His hair is itching.

Not long. We’re getting ready to go now.

Where’s my daddy at? I thought he was coming?

I thought so too, but I guess this is the wrong day, that’s all. His small face just looks up at me as if he is trying to console me. It’s okay mom. Maybe he’ll come some other time.

Yeah, maybe. I just look away sadly. Well, let’s get going. I go pay for the slice of apple pie we had. The cashier hardly even looks my way as we make our way out the restaurant.

"Mom?’

Yeah?

What we going to do now?

I just squeeze my baby’s hand, Nothing. We will do what we been doing before, that’s all. Nothing changed; nothing at all. Both of us head home in silence; his small feet with those uneven socks, and me with my pressed and starched dress, all for nothing, nothing at all.’

Identical frays of curls grace their heads. His in defiant of a slick surface, hers in defiant of hand made ribbons.

(One year ago)

The story of Jonah and the whale is historically part of biblical history. Some historians say it’s an allegory and not based on actual events, others attest the account is actually factual.

All eyes in the small room locked on Mr. Jenkins. Half the class believes him the others don’t care. He continues, I personally believe the account.

Tyrone asks, But why didn’t the whale just chew him up and spit all his guts out?

Your imagination is disgusting, Tyrone. The point wasn’t to eat him but to show him a lesson.

What lesson?

Obedience.

Obedience? I don’t get it.

Of course you don’t and I don’t have time to go into it now. He glances at his watch and realize he has approximately two hours before he goes to his next job. Lingering makes him late. Okay class, until next week.

Everyone shuffles out the class, a few head to the main sanctuary to join family, others head outside to talk and play around before time to start the main Sunday service. Mr. Jenkins is rushing faster than the students are. Tyrone still cannot grasp the lesson and tries to add more questions to a very irritated instructor. But Mr. Jenkins, I don’t understand why the whale didn’t just eat him up. Why would the whale just throw him up somewhere? How did he live in the fish in the first place, and was his body mangled and bloody when he came out? Could he walk?

Mr. Jenkins kindly adds, Those are questions you can ask your mother at home and come back and give us the answers, How’s that?

This sounds good, so he allows the teacher to leave out the door. Jason follows as the teacher heads to the parking lot at warp speed. Jason and Tyrone run to catch up with the elusive teacher.

By the way, I might be out next week, school starts. Tyrone adds.

How sad for us.

Yeah, well I didn’t want to wait till the last minute to tell you.

He reaches his car, Why don’t we just wait till then, you might feel better. You never know.

True, but I doubt it. Tyrone runs off into the building to join his family. Mr. Jenkins throws his briefcase in the passenger seat, rushing to make it home and get a meal before he has to leave again. For a moment, he forgot the other child was still standing there.

You know a lot about whales, Mr. Jenkins? Jason shyly asks.

Nothing. Just what I read.

Have you ever seen one up close?

He gets into his car, Can’t say I have. He wants to take off, but his conscious gets to him. This child is usually quiet, never gives him any trouble in class. Always comes in, takes his seat and listen. I like him a lot. He decides to give him a few minutes of attention. Have you?

Not up close but I saw one in the distance when we went on vacation last summer.

Really? He knew the child always made up stories; some were so real you had to investigate to find the truth, but he was a good kid. No dad, sad; but what can you say; that’s life. Any man would be proud to be a father to a kid like that.

Yeah, it was something. The child had the eyes of a dreamer. He kept moving back and forth in the water like he was waiting for somebody. He was big too! As big as this whole parking lot!

He had to go. This kid had an imagination. You saw all that from the beach?

Yeah!

Well, I hope you kept your distance. Those whales can swallow a man and a boy in a second. Remember that. Don’t forget Jonah.

He chuckles, Yeah. I liked that story a lot.

The teacher starts his engine, looks at the child, smiles as he waves and heads out. Instead of Jason going into the church, he heads home.

DEATH

"Mom! Mom! Jason races in the house, slamming the door with a bang.

Why you here so early? And stop slamming that door. His mother lifts up on the sofa in the small living room. The house is large and old but the parlor is small, cozy, Robin’s favorite place to rest, and watch television.

I know church isn’t over yet. She straightens the covers over her legs.

I left early.

Why? What’s the point in going if you going to leave this early.

I wanted to see how you were doing.

Yeah right. A cynical smile moves across her lips. This is her son, her own child, yet he looks exactly like his father.

"Besides Nana’s singing with those